She was the daughter of King Cinyras of Cyprus, and Queen Cenchreis; falling in love with her father, she tricked him into sleeping with her and got pregnant. When Cinyras learned who she truly was, he grabbed his sword and tried to catch her and kill her. Myrrha fled and ran through Arabia for nine months, before she started pleading to gods for help and mercy. The gods decided to help her, so they transformed her into a myrrh-tree. Her tears became the sap of the tree, and she later gave birth to a baby, who was named Adonis.

According to another version of the myth, Myrrha's transformation into a tree was considered a punishment of silence for what she had done, rather than deliverance from her anguish.